Review – Ghosted #6 (Image Comics)

When it was announced that ‘Ghosted’ would continue as an ongoing title, rather than the 5-part miniseries it was originally intended to be, I did wonder where Joshua Williamson was planning on taking the series, as the first arc seemed to exhaust the potential of the premise.

Thankfully, this second arc starts off pretty strong, quickly setting up hero Jackson Winters’ next adventure in a fairly entertaining manner. After his last unusual ‘heist’, Winters has apparently earned a reputation, and is again set on the trail of a ghost he is required to to’steal’, and a kidnapped child to save.

The first thing that hits you about this issue is that it looks great. Davide Gianfelice’s artwork in the opening scenes bring to mind the 80’s vibe of Miami Vice, and as later scenes become a little more familiar, the art remains strong. Miroslav Mrva’s colours really pop in those early pages, but take a subtler tone come the midpoint of the book. It’s not a stark contrast, but that initial dazzle does unfortunately fade.

Luckily, you may not have time to notice, because the second thing that hits you is that this issue is over in a flash. It’s not a pacing problem, as everything gets covered without feeling rushed, but the combination of fairly short scenes make the issue feel like a short episode. This isn’t a negative point though. Again, everything slots into place, but as a setup issue, #6 almost misses the mark, as you have to assume the next instalment will see the mandatory ‘team assembly’ that usually comes with this type of story. Here’s hoping Williamson can put a different spin on a familiar tale.

All in all, issue #6 doesn’t look as if it’s about to take this title anywhere particularly new, but it is a pretty entertaining set-up, and if the title can avoid re-treading old ground, ‘Ghosted’ could very well be worth sticking with.